The Creation of my MassIVe engine, behind the scenes with Jake Raby

You can buy or make a thing that is like a big caster wheel that bolts to the frame horns. That allows you to move the car around without the trans installed.

I have a device made to cart the car around without the trans installed. BUT the issue is with construction going on the car can't roll from building 1 to building 2 on the caster wheel.

I'll do a complete video with Bad Egg when its completed..

Jake,
Can you giver me a definate ship date as I told the man he would have the engine and tranny that I sold him by the second week after the 19th when Jack dropped his car off and now you are telling me it will be the first of December before it is shipped out. That is six weeks after Jack dropped the car off.
Thanking you in advance.

Jerry--the blame is totally mine as I assumed wrongly and told you a couple of weeks after I dropped the car off at Jake's. That was me talking and not Jake---he doesn't work against time deadlines and in fact, there are no clocks in his entire facility! I should not have said this as I didn't understand that parts for the new tranny
were not available, that resurfacing Jake's parking area would make it a problem to move the car back and forth from one building to the work area. It does look like your tranny will be shipped right after Thanksgiving based on what Jake writes above.

Jake has had other issues that we all know about and is understandably behind, as anyone else would be. Today he even offered to ship the car back to me at his expense so I wouldn't have to drive it in the cold--I will still go get it and drive it home and expect it will be more comfortable than my winter BMW motorctcle trips ---at least there's a top to stop the wind! But it does show what a standup guy Jake is.

I apologize for jumping the gun on this --I believe the engine was delivered to your guy in Siloam Springs, AR yesterday and the tranny should follow in a couple of weeks. I have many parts, tools and books for a Type I engine that I will send to your buyer free of charge and hope this makes up for my gaffe. Thanks for understanding---Jack

I will pull the transaxle from the car tomorrow and deal with the inconvenience. I hadn't planned on the past week being rainy and pushing the pavers out a matter of days with their work.. In fact we've been trying to pave this since September but the damn rain has kept it from happening, then my Dad passed away.

I'll happily inconvenience myself.

At 1745 today Jack's engine was born.. As I type this we are waiting for it to cool down so we can do our first round of checks.

Is it a boy or a girl?

I'm guessing that Jake don't make no "girly-man" engines. (California expression)

Wow---I think I jyst posted my first link---I thought pictures was a bug deal but look at me now! (Still have to see if this works)>

Jake posted a video of the dyno test of my type 1 engine today and I'm putting the video on this post.

He ran the rpms up to about 5,100 and looking at the video I thought the engine would blow up! The most it has ever seen with me was a but over 4,000. The new type IV will easily spin up and over 6,000 with the race balancing Jake is doing so I won't worry about rpms in the future!

After driving my Speedster with the original Type I Jake wanted to move the power a bit lower so he has added some stroke to accomplish this. So instead of a 2050 cc engine it's now 2,145. Jake did this at no extra charge---just to get it as perfect as possible so I feel pretty good about this as a sign of the rest of the job he's doing.

Anyway---here's the video---if you ever wondered if your own mexicrate engine would do over 5,000 rpm and stay together this settles it. Enjoy.

How does a man with no clocks in his shop know to the minute what time an engine is born?

Jim,
Sunset today in Cleveland GA was at roughly 1730.. When Jack's engine fired up the sun had been down over the horizon for a few minutes, so the 1745 time was a good estimate.. The afternoon sun this time of year is brutal in the dyno control room :-)

The tranny is almost out of Jack's car... Took a break for Pizza and I'll have it out by midnight and stripped of it's axles.

Do you ever sleep?

Sounds like the way Merklin works......

No, I seldom sleep.. If I did I'd not get much done.

My day starts at 0430, I am at the shop by 0530 and generally work till 1900. I then go home and work on admin stuff for at least 3 hours and crash at midnight..

Two nights a week I stay at the shop and work until at least 0300.. Its hard to relax when you have a years worth of work ahead of you.. None of this is really work, because I am doing what I love and I enjoy every aspect of it.. Every member of my team is the same way..

Anyway, tranny is fully prepped for shipment and will leave today. It'll be hard for anyone to whine now. My part is done.

Hey, I resemble that statement!

Tranny shipped.

Engine is tuned, broken in and has passed all today's tests. Power runs come Monday.

Jake---sounds great---how about a picture of that bad boy while it's still in the nursery (dyno room).

Will do.. It is outfitted with my dyno cooling system for these tests since I have your shroud prepped for paint.

Jake,

From Sgt McAlister, USMC, 2125188, I appreciate you getting the tranny shipped out. I know it was an imposition.

Thanks again.

Jerry

Got an early start this morning.. Engine is warmed up and ready for a power run as soon as the sun comes up! Engine Dyno work should be done today in it's entirety.

The weather has been horrible the past couple of days, so I probably can't paint the shroud till Wednesday without risking issues..

I'll have the oiling system installed this week, we'll finish the tranny, paint and install the DTM V2 cooling system and be ready to install the engine just after Thanksgiving... Damn I hate short weeks and Holidays!

Jake--Jeez 4 am--you sure DID get an early start! Very glad to see this good progress.

Just doing whats required :-)

Here is a shot of my new Type 4 engine in logng block form. The engine is on the dyno with an electric fan for cooling while the DTM is out for paint and will be attached later this week.

I'll post another photo when the DTM is on.

--Starting to take shape!

Thats more than likely not the exhaust you'll be using either.. I am testing it Vs. the unit that we made for your Speedster as a comparison...

It's your call, Jake. I guess the dyno numbers with each exhaust will tell the story.

Engine Dyno power runs are now completed... The engine has excellent curves and makes peak power exactly where I wanted.

Jack has a .jpg of the dyno graph.. I am sure he'll post it soon..

One step closer.

Jake:

With all the rain you've (we've) been getting lately, how the heck can you tell when the sun comes up??

Nice, clean looking mill.

Looking forward to seeing the power/torque curves.

gn

The rain is out of control.. These days if its just cloudy we are happy.

OK--here's the HP and Torque graph jake emailed me and I'll ask him to comment on it as far as what sort of driving and reliability
it should be expected to produce.

Of course this is a dyno graph.

Jake---what do it all mean??

Nice torque curve!

What's a good rule of thumb for power train losses when installed? I'm curious about the engine dyno versus "rolling road" dyno numbers.

Compare your torque curves, old v. new and you'll be able envision the difference. The new numbers are solid numbers. You'll have to go out of your way to kill this engine. A word of advice: BRAKES.

Scott--you are so right about brakes--that's the first thing Jake warned me about. He will be replacing the rear drums with discs as part of the project. The discs are on his shelf waiting to be installed.

Good observation!

Lane--good question --I'll also be interested what Jake says about this issue. With his dyno for engine only and his dyno for "in car"
testing I know he will have some good info.

My old 1915 engine put out a paltry 50 hp at the wheels at 3,000 rpm and 54 hp at 3,500, which is where it spent most of it's time on the road. That's with dual Kadron / Solexes too! As well as it ran before, I can't imagine what the car will do now, with the Type 4--I'm damned anxious to try it out though!

You lose 18-20% thru the drive train.
Blackie has 80 hp at the wheels

~WB

OK Jack, using Bill's number of 20% drivetrain losses puts your new rear wheel HP at 103. Your old engine was what- 50 something? Oh boy - now the fun starts!

Just for the record, you should know how your engine was "dressed" on the engine dyno. Air cleaners on, fan/alt pulley connected, your exhaust and muffler system attached, AC (if included) belt attached. You get the picture? Some Dyno shops will use "optimized" conditions to obtain bragging rights. That is why rear wheel horsepower tells the real tale. Enjoy the ride!

130 plus ft. lbs. from 2500 all the way up to 5000? That is a REAL nice torque curve. Should be fun in the mountains, always more fun to go up than get down. Jack will only lose about 8 hp with the fan and alternator on. Also, when Jake optimizes the jetting and exhaust, the numbers will come back up. Sounds like a great combo to me, even for a type1 fan like myself.

Hey Jack, take me for a ride in Carlisle 2010! Maybe we'll even get a Raby siting?

I won't be at Carlisle.. That weekend is the same weekend as my Wife's Land Speed Racing event and she wants the 153MPH record in class REALLY badly!

Based on my previous experience with this engine dyno and this chassis dyno and EVERY engine I build that gets installed here seeing time on both of them I'd say Jack will end up with 100 RWHP. This will be after the engine is installed into the car and is fully optimized.

The goal was to add 50HP and stretch the RPM range out by another 2,000 RPM over the 1915. Based on this plot from today's testing I'd say that I put the numbers exactly where I wanted them for Jack, his car and it's gearing.

Danny---you more than are welcome to DRIVE my car at Carlisle.

FYI-for all you power-hungry speed freaks: there is a LSR category for 36hp VWs. Ruminate on that for a while. (I had a stock 1959 with an engine like this-was one of the best cars I ever owned. Literally ran like a sewing machine...)

Yeah, but unless you are "Buddies" with the organizers of that class you'll be very disappointed!
Hell, the engine I was building for the challenge was outlawed before I even finished the cylinder heads!